How to Use Copilot in Word to Build a Glossary From Highlighted Terms

You have a long Word document with key terms scattered across multiple pages. Manually collecting each term and writing its definition is time-consuming and prone to errors. Copilot in Word can read highlighted text and generate a glossary from those selections automatically. This article explains how to use Copilot to build a glossary from highlighted terms, what prerequisites are needed, and how to avoid common formatting mistakes.

How Copilot’s Glossary Feature Works in Word

Copilot in Word uses Microsoft Graph to read the content of your open document. When you ask it to create a glossary, it scans the text for terms you have highlighted with the built-in yellow highlighter tool. Copilot does not read bold, italic, or underlined formatting — it only responds to the highlight color applied through the Home tab > Text Highlight Color button. The feature requires an active Microsoft 365 subscription with Copilot for Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro. The glossary is generated as a list of terms and definitions inserted at your cursor location or in a new section. Definitions are generated based on the context surrounding each highlighted term in your document.

Prerequisites Before You Start

You need Word for the web, Word for Windows version 2402 or later, or Word for Mac version 16.78 or later. The document must be saved to OneDrive or SharePoint. Copilot cannot access local files saved only to your hard drive. Your Microsoft 365 admin must enable Copilot in Word through the Microsoft 365 admin center under Settings > Copilot. If you use Copilot Pro, the feature works in the same way but with the same file location requirement.

Steps to Generate a Glossary From Highlighted Terms

Follow these steps to create a glossary in Word using Copilot. The process works identically in Word for Windows, Word for Mac, and Word for the web.

1. Open your document and save it to OneDrive or SharePoint
   Copilot requires cloud-synced files. Click File > Save As and choose a OneDrive folder or SharePoint document library. If your document is already saved locally, use File > Save a Copy to cloud.
2. Highlight each term you want in the glossary
   Select a term with your mouse. On the Home tab, click the Text Highlight Color button the yellow highlight icon. Repeat this for every term. You can highlight a single word or a short phrase. Do not use bold, underline, or colored fonts as substitutes — only the yellow highlighter works.
3. Open the Copilot pane
   Click the Copilot icon on the right side of the Home tab. The Copilot pane opens on the right side of the Word window. If you do not see the icon, check that your subscription is active and that the document is saved to the cloud.
4. Type your prompt to create the glossary
   In the Copilot pane, type: Create a glossary from the highlighted terms in this document. Press Enter or click the Send button. Copilot scans the highlighted text and generates definitions based on the surrounding sentences.
5. Review the generated glossary
   Copilot inserts a table or list at the end of the document or at your cursor location. Each row contains the highlighted term and a definition. Read each definition to confirm it matches the intended meaning in your document.
6. Edit definitions directly in the Copilot pane if needed
   If a definition is incorrect or too vague, click the Edit button in the Copilot pane. Type a revised definition. Copilot updates the glossary entry. You can also edit the text directly in the document after Copilot inserts it.
7. Format the glossary table
   Select the glossary table. On the Table Design tab, choose a style that matches your document. Add a heading like Glossary or Definitions above the table to make it easy to find later.

Common Mistakes When Building a Glossary With Copilot

Several issues can prevent Copilot from generating a correct glossary. The most frequent problem is using the wrong highlight color. Copilot only recognizes the standard yellow highlighter. If you apply a green, pink, or blue highlight, Copilot ignores those terms. Another issue is highlighting too much text. Highlight entire phrases, not partial words or longer paragraphs. A phrase of two to five words works best. If you highlight a full sentence, Copilot may define the entire sentence instead of the core term.

Copilot Does Not Find Any Highlighted Terms

This happens when the document is not saved to OneDrive or SharePoint. Check the title bar — if you see [Read-Only] or the file path shows C:, save the document to the cloud. Also confirm that you applied the yellow highlight. Select a highlighted term and look at the Home tab. The Text Highlight Color button should show a yellow bar. If it shows no color, the term is not highlighted.

Copilot Generates Definitions That Are Too Generic

Copilot uses the surrounding sentences to write definitions. If the term appears only once or in a very short paragraph, the definition may be vague. Add a brief sentence near the term that explains its meaning. For example, if the term is API, write a sentence like An API allows two software applications to communicate. Then highlight API again and regenerate the glossary by repeating the prompt.

Copilot Inserts the Glossary in the Wrong Location

Copilot places the glossary at your current cursor position by default. To control the location, move the cursor to where you want the glossary to appear before you send the prompt. If the glossary appears at the end of the document, cut the table and paste it where you prefer.

Item	Copilot for Microsoft 365	Copilot Pro
Subscription requirement	Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, or Premium plus Copilot add-on	Copilot Pro subscription alone, works with Word for the web and desktop
File location required	OneDrive or SharePoint	OneDrive or SharePoint
Highlight color recognized	Yellow only	Yellow only
Maximum highlighted terms per prompt	Up to 50 highlighted terms	Up to 50 highlighted terms
Admin control required	Yes, admin must enable Copilot in Microsoft 365 admin center	No admin control needed

You can now build a glossary from highlighted terms using Copilot in Word without manually typing each definition. Start by highlighting key terms in yellow, then use the Copilot pane to generate the glossary. For documents with more than 50 terms, generate the glossary in batches of 50 terms each. After Copilot inserts the glossary, review each definition and edit any that are too generic by adding context sentences near the term before regenerating.